This book reviews the deep historical roots of Asian business ethics and firmly places these into the modern context. From this analysis the various authors review the role of trust in alliances - in general, and in operational detail in several countries in South and East Asia: Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Korea are featured. Finally we note the need to develop trust looking at the obstacles of understanding these aspects.

This book is a timely evaluation of how a harmonious business environment can be created and managed successfully in an increasingly turbulent era. It illustrates how diversity within East-West business is valuable to the development of new approaches in managing harmony for practitioners.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important issue in contemporary business, management and politics, especially since the launch of the United Nations Global Compact in 2000 as an initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on them. This book examines the theory and practice of CSR in Asia. The philosophical and ideological underpinnings of CSR are rooted in Anglo-American and European principles of liberal democratic rights, justice and societal structures. This book not only considers the impact of Western CSR practices in Asia, but also provides much needed Asian perspectives on this issue. It investigates the operation of CSR in different countries across Asia, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Bangladesh – comparing the different meanings given to CSR, and the varying degrees of success experienced in different national contexts. This book argues if CSR is ever to revolutionize the manner in which we trade then it is needs to open itself up to the full variety of social responsibility as it occurs around the world. The book re-maps and refines debates about CSR as a global phenomenon, and will be of great value to professionals making strategic decisions in the global business environment.

Whither Chinese management? The Middle Kingdom has come a long way since the economic reforms were introduced after 1978. As ownership has opened up and has become more fragmented, the state-owned firms no longer dominate the scene, nor does their management model. Managing has also become more complex and diversified, as well as more professional. This book asks what the next steps are likely to be and will assess the current directions in which Chinese managers are developing, as its economy slows down in the face of global uncertainty. It aims to update previous works in the field covering business and management in these countries. It covers a wide range of topics, including banking, competition, employee satisfaction, expatriates, industrial relations, HRM, organization, SMEs, social responsibility, strategic sourcing, trust and so on. The book also asks in which future directions management may be moving in this important part of the international economy. The authors are all experts in their fields and are all based in universities and business schools in countries such as Australia and the UK, among others. The work is aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students in business administration especially those on MBA programmes, as well as those studying development economics, management studies and related courses, including lecturers in those subjects. This book was published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

There is a feeling that Asia is at a crossroad, and is facing a new crisis. The earlier crisis of 1997/98 showed that effective systems were missing. Afterwards governments, foreign investors and foreign managers initiated more holistic infrastructures, but corruption, poorly connecting systems, and a lack of transparent management have ensured that these are under performing. In this book well-informed authors offer insights on Asia's political, educational and physical infrastructures, and indicate the routes leading to better integrated futures.

Asia was probably the biggest economic sensation of the post-war decades. The breathtaking success of Japan was followed by a remarkable rise of "four tigers", then ASEAN founder states and then China. The Asian miracle became a commonly accepted definition of this success. In the late 1970s and especially 80s it became clear that the balance of power in the world had changed. Politicians, businessmen, scholars began to talk about "the new Asia Pacific age" and Asian economic model, different from and, maybe, even superior to Western capitalism. However, in 1997-98 the Asian economic crisis came and made the region a sick man. Six years before that Japan, the regional powerhouse entered more than a decade-long period of stagnation. The miracle was over. However, the crisis was overcome within a surprisingly short period of time. Naturally, the question arises: What now? What is going on in the region after the miracle and after the crisis? What is today's face of Asian capitalism and how should we view its performance? Readers interested in regional developments will find a lot of literature about miracle decades and crisis years. However, few analysts have addressed the challenging questions addressed in this book. The authors vividly show that Asian capitalism is undergoing a radical structural transformation. These changes are directly affecting its key institutions: governments, companies, labor relations, etc. As a result Asian economic systems are becoming much closer to the Western-style, especially Anglo-Saxon capitalism, though the region retains some important specific features, especially regarding business culture. This book is a must for business people worldwide, for all those who study the region in colleges and business schools, for people engaged in various international activities and, finally, for all those who want learn more about our world at the dawn of the new century.